Chương 621: Cao Cao is Robbed

When the time comes, we'll give Guan Yu and Zhang Fei a few oddly shaped dates and say that His Majesty only distributed these few. Anyway, they won't dare to go into the palace to ask His Majesty.

And these wines, so mellow and rich, and a box of Hetian jade, so crystal clear, are perfect for me to keep and enjoy slowly, or to serve to guests during the New Year. How impressive and classy!

After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and lowered his voice to say to the driver:

"Change course! Go back to Cao's residence first! Don't go to the military camp! Hurry up! Go out the back gate!"

The coachman hesitated for a moment: "General, aren't we going to deliver people to the generals? Didn't His Majesty order...?"

"Just change course! Stop with the nonsense!" Cao Cao glared at him, his mustache bristling.

"Go back to the manor to put your things away first, then go to the military camp! If you delay, I'll deduct your wages!"

Just as the coachman was about to turn the corner, and the carriage had just rounded the street corner, he saw a row of people squatting neatly by the roadside.

Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, leaning against a tree as if he had been waiting there for a long time, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade slung over his shoulder...

Zhang Fei stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes wide and round, looking like a door god, his beard bristling...

Lu Bu stood with his arms crossed, his Crimson Flame Horse pawing the ground beside him, looking smug, his halberd stuck in the ground...

Yuwen Chengdu stood there expressionless, carrying the phoenix-winged gilded axe, like an iron tower...

Dian Wei and Xu Chu stood at the very front, like two iron towers, each holding a horizontal sword...

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong were huddled together, one munching on a meat bun, his mouth greasy, the other holding a wine gourd, gulping down wine...

Xu Huang twirled the axe in his hand...

Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun, each with a straw in their mouths, were acting all nonchalant...

A dozen or so men were staring intently at his carriage, as if they were blocking an enemy supply route. They looked like they could dismantle his carriage on the spot if he dared to keep it hidden.

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat. He felt like he was digging his toes out of the soles of his shoes and creating a whole host of Western Regions. His forehead was covered in sweat.

He quickly got out of the car with a forced smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace:

"Hey guys, what are you doing here? What a coincidence! Shopping? The weather's nice today!"

"What a load of rubbish!" Xu Chu slammed his sword on the ground with a thud, sending dust flying and cracking the road surface. His voice was so loud it could be heard halfway down the street.

"Cao Mengde! Stop pretending! We brothers have all found out! You brought back more than twenty beauties from the Western Regions, His Majesty chose six, shouldn't the rest be divided among us? Don't even think about keeping them for yourself! We've been waiting for you here for half an hour! Our legs are numb from squatting!"

Cheng Yaojin chewed on a steamed bun, speaking indistinctly, spewing out crumbs:

"I made a bet with Yuchi Gong that you'd definitely keep some hidden! If I win, he has to treat me to drinks for a month! I bet you've kept at least two!"

Yuchi Gong rolled his eyes and said irritably, "I didn't think you would be that greedy, but now it seems I've lost. You're ruthless."

Cao Cao waved his hand, feigning ignorance and looking completely innocent; his acting was worthy of an Oscar.

"How could that be! His Majesty only picked the best. The rest all have problems; some are pockmarked, some are lame. That's exactly what I was thinking of sending them to you! I was worried you wouldn't like them, and I was just wondering how to tell you!"

"Is that so?" Xu Chu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and strode to the carriage. He reached out and lifted the curtain with lightning speed.

Cao Cao quickly intervened, flustered and clumsy: "Hey, hey, hey! Don't touch them! They're all young ladies! It won't sound good if word gets out! It'll damage their reputations! They still want to get married!"

How could he stop Xu Chu? Xu Chu simply shoved him aside, nearly causing Cao Cao to fall flat on his face, landing on the ground covered in ash.

Xu Chu lifted the curtains one by one, and found more than a dozen girls sitting inside, each with delicate features, and two particularly beautiful ones covering their mouths and laughing.

Hidden in the carriage compartment were twenty jars of fine wine, sealed tightly, with labels on them indicating first, second, and third grade.

There was a box of Hetian jade tucked under the seat, which he planned to keep secretly. The jade was warm and lustrous, and it was obviously of high quality.

"Well done, Cao Mengde!" Xu Chu, carrying a wine jar, raised his voice eight octaves higher, making dust fall from the eaves.

"Keeping the beauty hidden away is one thing, but trying to hoard the wine for yourself? And keeping the jade for yourself? That's not very fair! We treated you like a brother! Is this how you treat your brothers?"

Cao Cao's face turned bright red, but he remained defiant, the veins on his neck bulging.

"This wine... this wine was for His Majesty! I was just about to return it! And the jade, that's also for His Majesty! I didn't intend to keep it for myself!"

"Give me a break!" Xiahou Yuan leaned closer and called him out, a wicked grin on his face.

"His Majesty's palace is overflowing with wine, why would you need to hide it in a secret compartment? You're kidding me! Look at these labels, first, second, and third grade—you clearly sorted them by quality yourself!"

The crowd burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the entire street. Cao Cao's face turned green, and he wished he could disappear into the ground; his ears were bright red.

After all that fuss, Cao Cao's little scheme was completely thwarted, and he had no choice but to obediently call everyone down and let his brothers choose.

Guan Yu chose a girl who could play the pipa, saying that she could listen to music when she had free time, which would cultivate her character...

Zhang Fei chose a tall, strong, and cheerful girl, and he was so happy he slapped his thigh...

Lu Bu chose the most delicate and frail-looking one. The girl glanced at him, blushed, and didn't dare lift her head. Lu Bu gave a haughty "humph" and said, "She'll do, she's passable," though secretly he was quite pleased...

Dian Wei... Xu Chu...

Cheng Yaojin picked the plumpest one, saying he just liked fleshy ones...

Yuchi Gong picked the tallest one, saying he liked those with long legs...

After dividing up the spoils, the group then thoroughly devoured all of Cao Cao's hidden wine and jade, leaving him not even a single wine jar and tearing off the labels.

Zhang Fei also snatched the jade pendant to give to his daughter as a toy, saying that it would be hung above her bed to ward off evil spirits.

Each person, with their companions, dispersed contentedly, riding horses and leading their beauties, chatting and laughing all the way.

Cheng Yaojin, still carrying two jars of wine, turned back and shouted at Cao Cao, his voice echoing through the street:

"Thanks, Mengde! Remember us next time something like this happens! Don't keep it to yourself!"

Cao Cao stood on the street, looking at the empty carriage. Half of the curtain had been torn off, and it was swaying in the wind. A girl's hairpin lay on the ground, glittering silver.

He picked it up, sighed, and clicked his tongue in distress. He slapped his thigh and cried out, his voice filled with grief and indignation:

"What a loss! This is a huge loss! My beauty! My wine! My jade! How much is all this worth?!"

A vendor selling candied hawthorns nearby came over, holding up a straw target, and asked with a smile:

"General, would you like a skewer of candied hawthorns to sweeten your day? They're freshly dipped in sugar, crisp and sweet, so delicious! Five coins a skewer!"